HOME PROFILE: Ambiance and ocean views in Rockport

Friday

Mar 10, 2017 at 7:39 AM

By Barbara Forster / GateHouse Media

ADDRESS: 7 Gale Ave., Rockport

BEDROOMS: 3

BATHROOMS: 2 full

LIVING SPACE: 1,591 sq. ft.

PRICE: $929,000

You might not believe that this large house began life as a summer cottage. Then again, its obvious charming ambiance from the first floor to the third plus the wraparound decks — details in just a moment — might convince you otherwise.

For example, the Dutch door from the porch and wide plank flooring are initial clues to this home’s beginnings but more follows — like the kitchen. Rustic but well-planned, the roomy kitchen has lots of counter/prep space. This space is also surprisingly large and is comfortable for two working chefs simultaneously. Keep in mind that creating a completely contemporary spot with all the bells and whistles is always an option.

The adjacent dining room — completely wrapped in windows, with bead board paneling on the walls and ceiling — feels cozy but is, in fact a large room. Seating eight to 10 is very easy and fir floor boards in this room are simply stunning. Of course, this, too, is a room with a view and (remember its age) a large built-in china cabinet.

Incidentally, wide bead board wall and ceilings found throughout this charmer are original.

Now back to the kitchen — make that what is on the other side of this comfy space — and other practical spaces: the laundry room and a full bathroom with a step-in shower. In addition to full-size machines, the laundry room has two bonuses. One is a sink and the other is a sizable closet.

By the way, this home also has an energy efficient Buderus furnace.

Headin’ on up …

A large sitting room — and a very bright one at that — is at the top of the staircase to the second floor. In case you’re wondering "how large" this space is, think comfy seating with ample room for a desk, table, etc.

Double doors on one side of the room lead to one section of a wonderful wrap-around deck; another door opens to a different part of the deck thus creating a wonderful indoor-outdoor space.

An even larger room — and yes, just as bright — is straight ahead. The view, which is a stunning water vista, is one perk. A window on a side offers an equally impressive variation of that view.

Charming bead board walls and a ceiling that are right at home with the pellet stove on a tile hearth are a few more pluses. Even in this inviting space, practicality is always around the corner — literally.

For example, a roomy storage closet is tucked (unobtrusively) between the sitting and living rooms. A desk area with wrap-around open bookcases also fits cozily into one corner.

Would you believe?

A staircase installed around the corner between the sitting and living rooms is easy to overlook but don’t. This "secret" leads to the third floor and to bedrooms brimming with character and charisma.

French doors, for example, open to one bedroom with a nine-foot-ceiling. Narrow bead board paneling is on the walls and ceiling; the floor has wide boards. The spacious room also has a double closet.

Another bedroom — these share a Jack ’n’ Jill bathroom with a large cast iron soaking tub — has full pane glass sliders to a deck. The water view whether you are outside on the deck or cuddled up in bed (queen-size of course) is fabulous.

A nine-foot-high ceiling with narrow bead board paneling and a double closet is in this room, too. Yes, the walls are also paneled with bead board.

The "view" is truly a focal point in another room that works well as an office or study/den/etc. This room also has a double closet. In this home, storage is definitely a non-issue.

And we aren’t done yet, either.

Consider that this home even has an attic that provides a goodly amount of storage.

Also, let us not forget that this home is right on the Atlantic Path so you can walk to Halibut Point. Hoop Pole Cove is directly ahead but from the upper floors and those decks sweeping Atlantic Ocean vistas are available every single day of the year. Wow!

Contact Jane Meterparel or Brian Marvelley of Lux Realty North Shore at 781-237-3341 or 978-390-7146 or by email: jane@luxrns.com or brian@luxrns.com.